I will name my son after you
by JulieArchery107
Summary: Ever wondered how Thranduil got the idea for Legolas's name? Here is my version of what happened that includes magic and a bit of time travel. It all started two days before the journey to Mordor with two pesky hobbits getting ahold of Gandalf's staff, wanting to play 'wizards' for a moment. This all backfires and Legolas ends up sent to a time where all the elf Lords, are children
1. Chapter 1

"I will name my son after you."

Chapter 1

"Innocent games, lead to dangerous consequences."

"Ugh…" Confused, sky blue eyes blinked slowly against the harsh sun that shone down on them. The owner of the groan, pulled one of his arms from under his belly and used it to shield his sensitive pupils from the sunlight. The green-clad elf could now see that he was in some kind of forest, his vision being filled with mostly tree-like wildlife and small bushes and, even though he did not recognize where he was, he was happy it wasn't Dol Guldur.

With a sore groan Legolas pulled himself upwards from his awkward position on the ground. "What…happened?" The poor elf muttered to no one in particular, looking around the landscape around him. The archer's mind was plagued by questions that were left _irritably_ unanswered. "Where am, I?" Being the most popular one amongst the rest.

Shaking his blond head as to clear it a bit, Legolas focused on the small details he _could_ recall, before ending up in this unknown forest. A fer a minute, albeit slowly, the lost memories began to reappear.

He remembered talking with Aragorn about something silly, while heading to the common room in Rivendell. The journey of the Fellowship was about to begin in two days and Gandalf told all the nine members, to meet him there so that they can discuss the important matters concerning the way they were going to travel.

Legolas could remember chuckling at the sight of Merry and Pippin playing around with the wizard's staff, shouting unreal spells and curses at everyone they saw.

The elf could hear Boromir asking Mithrandir if it was wise to allow those two whippersnappers, to play with such a dangerous weapon, in the back of his cloudy head, and even _himself_ seconding the question with a bit of concern. But Gandalf couldn't see anything going wrong, since Marry and Pippin don't know any real spells, and told them to allow the hobbits to have some fun before the hardships of the journey began.

The son of Thranduil, snorted.

Judging by the fact that he ended up in an unknown location, without remembering ever leaving the palace of Lord Elrond. He quested that both he and the Gondorian warrior, ignored their instincts deciding to listen to the wizard instead.

Concentrating harder on the events that happened before his awakening, the Crown Prince of Mirkwood could vaguely recall images of the rest of the Fellowship, joining in the fun. Pretending to be injured by the invisible orc-destroying spells, or changed into whatever animal the mischievous hobbits called out swinging the large wand.

He could remember shaking his head at the rest of the group making fools of themselves, being the only one with enough brain cells to know this was a terrible idea.

The Mirkwood elf couldn't remember if he was hit because Merry swung the wand at him or if he jumped in the way of the spell to protect Aragorn, but either way it seemed that his instincts were proven correct once again and he was, _once more_ , paying the price for the people that didn't listen to them.

Sighting Legolas shakily stood up and looked down at himself to scan for any possible injuries.

His green-brown archer uniform was still intact, with his bow, arrows, quiver and twin knives all in their respectable places, without visible damage.

His arms and legs as well as his torso didn't seem to even be bruised, felling quite normal whenever he moved them around or prodded at them with his fingers.

The archer's neck and back were a bit sore from the position he laid in, but that was to be expected.

All in all he sustained no physical injuries, so the elf guessed the teleportation spell must have been one of the harmless ones, thank the Valar.

After thinking through the situation at hand, Legolas concluded that: he's in a forest he doesn't recognize, after being teleported via magic staff by two non-magic hobbits, with no way to know where he is, how to get back to Rivendell or how long he was unconscious.

"Well," Legolas muttered to himself, stretching his weary body. "I've been in worse situations before." The blonde tried to consult himself. "At least I'm not lieing somewhere half-dead after being beaten by a bunch of orcs, or held captive in Dol Guldur." He muttered. Even after his small attempt in cheering himself up, he had to say he wasn't happy with the situation he was in.

 _Estel and Mithrandir are probably torn between yelling at the hobbits and worrying frantically about me_. The elf smiled at the image of a furious ranger switching uncontrollably between the 'I'll-kill-you-for-this' mode, and the 'Mother-hen' mode.

But the smile quickly vanished when he remembered the even that was due time, in two days.

Seeing that he had no way of telling how long he was out, nor how long will it take for him to come back to Rivendell, the poor elf had to accept the fact that the Fellowship will have to complete the mission, without him.

"I'm sorry I can't be there with you, Estel." He whispered into the bright-blue sky. "I just hope you can complete your destiny, without allowing the worry for me to cloud your judgement."

His small prayer was interrupted by a small voice.

"Who's, Estel?" Hearing it Legolas looked at the tree next to him, only to see a young elfling perched upon one of its branches, watching him with big silver-blue eyes. "And who are you talking to?"

The child couldn't be older than ten in human years, platinum-blonde hair and a similar warrior uniform to what Legolas himself wore, only difference were the colors. Where the prince's one was green, the boy's was silver and where his was brown, the child's was blue.

Looking into the sparkly irises of the elfling's eyes, the Mirkwood archer had a distant feeling he _knew_ those orbs from somewhere. He also silently admonished himself for not sensing the presence sooner.

"A friend." The golden haired elf answered the boy's first question. "One I hold dearly in my heart that I fear, I might never see again." Legolas added looking back at the slow-moving clouds.

"Oh." The elfling nodded, lowering his head. "Did he go away to the Halls of Mandos?"

"No." The archer shook his head. "But I fear he may, soon."

"If you worry for him so much…why didn't you go with him, sir?" The boy asked curiosity heard loudly in his little voice.

"I wanted too, but…" Legolas hesitated. "An unfortunate event kept me from accompanying him and now…I have no chance of catching up with his party."

"Oh…" Was all the child could say to this and for a minute, they both stood there in silence.

Fortunately the elfling grew bored with the sober atmosphere and decided he wanted to cheer the stranger, up.

"I have an idea!" The boy clicked his fingers together, jumped down from his tree branch and began pulling on Legolas's sleeve.

"Do you really?" The archer raised an eyebrow, deciding to humor the child.

"Uh-Huh!" The little elf nodded in agreement. "Since you lost your old friend, I'll be your new one!" He stated proudly, happy with his idea.

Legolas chuckled and ruffled the child's hair.

"I admire your enthusiasm, little elfling," He said fondly. "But didn't your father tell you to, never talk to strangers?" He asked raising an amused eye-brow.

The child pouted.

"You're no stranger, you're from Mirkwood." The elfling stated pointing at the older elf's uniform. "And I'm Thranduil Oropherion, crown prince of Greenwood the Great. I can do whatever I want!"

The child was so busy introducing himself that he didn't notice Legolas's eyes widen in surprise and shock.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 2

"Irony."

"What's your name? I was supposed to be called 'Oropher Jr' but mom said that's too selfish on dad's part, because they didn't have another elfling that would be named after her. That's what Ada told me, anyway. I wouldn't have minded, my dad's name is awesome! It's funny how nobody asked _me_ what I wanted to be named, since it was _my_ name they were choosing! How old are you? I'm 110 but my birthday is in three days, so you don't have to worry if you forget the exact number! What's your favorite color? Mine is gold and ruby! You know, like golden coins and beautiful rubies! When I become king, I'm going to have _hundreds_ , no, _thousands_ of them in my castle! Do you think that's too much? I don't think so! You can _never_ have enough jewels in your life! Now that we're friends, can I meet your family? My dad is the king so I'm guessing you already know him. Do you have a pet? I have a little elk! I wanted to call him 'Cookie Balrog the III' because he kept stealing all my chocolates, but Ada said it'd be offensive to all the living Balrogs in Arda, so we just named him 'Bonbon'. Are you a good archer? Because you are an archer, right? You have a bow and quiver on your back, so that must mean you're an archer! Do you think you can hit that yellow leaf over there? And that acorn! And that tiny flower! All in _one_ shot?! Can you, can you, huh? Huh?!"

If Legolas wasn't so focused on the fact that he was talking to a child version of his _father_ , he would have noticed what a giant chatterbox the future Elvenking, was.

Still visibly pail he numbly nodded at the boy, not taking his eyes of little Thranduil for a moment. While his brain struggled to process the given information, without going insane.

From what he had gathered form his little encounter with the elfling that will grow to become his sire, Legolas figured the hobbits _didn't_ accidentally sent him to another location, instead they sent him _back in time_ so far, he and the rest of the fellowship weren't even in plans, yet!

Legolas _himself_ wasn't going to appear on Arda for dozens of _centuries_ from now, Isildur's great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather wasn't born yet, Golin's ancestors are probably just settling in Erebor, the names Baggins, Gamgee, Took and Brandenbuck probably don't exist in the Shire and poor Boromir will only exist in the archer's memory for a long, long, _long_ time.

The only member who _might_ be around at this time, was Gandalf. But that's because nobody ever told the prince of Mirkwood how old that wizard really was!

And, even if he _did_ appear in this time period, it's not as if he could _help_ Legolas get back to his own! He probably is still learning how to make _ships_ from the smoke coming out of his dreaded pipe, for Valar's sake!

And that's when the weight of the situation finally hit the poor elf, with maximum force.

He was _stuck_ in the _past_ with _no way_ to get back to the Rivendell, he knows. His _best friend_ was on a dangerous quest to save all of Middle Earth, worried _sick_ about him. A grown version of the elfling before him was probably pacing the throne room waiting for his son to return from the messenger mission he sent him on, not knowing that he's trapped in the distant past, which is probably just as dangerous as the trip he planned to take with Aragorn.

Reaching his hand towards a nearby tree for support, as his vision suddenly began to blur.

 _By the Valar._ Legolas thought to himself becoming paler. _I really am trapped here, aren't I? If I ever get back to my own time, father is going to_ kill me _. Right after he murders the two hobbits for sending me back in the first place, and Mithrandir for the soul reason of letting them touch his magical staff-_

His though was cut off by the young Elven prince that was pulling on his sleeve.

"Hm?" Legolas blinked before looking down at the boy. "What is it, my prince?" The words tasted wired in his mouth. Being called that all his life, it was strange to call somebody else with that title. Especially if the person he's talking to, is normally the king.

"Are you okay?" Thranduil asked, looking at the blonde elf before him with concern. "You've been staring at this tree for a long time, and you haven't answered my questions." The platinum-blonde haired elfling accused, pointing at Legolas angrily and his pail blue eyes demanding answers.

"Very well then, my prince." The elder elf sighted, rubbing his sore temples. "My name is Legolas Greenleaf. I'm almost 3000 years old. My favorite colors are green and light blue. I'm afraid you can't meet my family since they all sailed. I have a horse called Nedorion as a pet and yes, I'm a very good archer. Though hitting the three objects you pointed out for me, would be difficult but not impossible with only one arrow." He finished, glancing at the tiny elf and wondering how on _earth_ was he able to remember all the questions the youngster asked, if he wasn't even paying attention.

Thranduil's jaw dropped.

"Wow…you actually followed everything I said." He stated breathlessly. "Even Ada was never able to do that, and he listens to me all the time."

"I had a lot of practice with children." Legolas answered and it was true, Estel has been just as talkative as a child. "Speaking of your father…" He trailed of looking the bright boy in the eyes. "Does he _know_ you're out here, on your own?"

"Yes!" The prince told him definitely before becoming less sure. "Well…not exactly, I'm supposed to be studying in the library right now, but…I'm a prince and I can do anything, I want!"

Legolas's jaw dropped.

"You _disobeye_ d your _father_?!" He couldn't believe it. Here was Thranduil Oropherion the future king of Mirkwood, the same one that told him time and time again that when _he_ was young, he _always_ listened to his father because that's what a perfect prince, did.

"Well…not exactly." Thranduil said, biting his lower lip. "I told him I was going to study, but I never said _where_ I was doing to do it."

Legolas deadpanned.

"That's probably the worst excuse _ever_!" He yelled throwing his arms up. "I mean, where _else_ can you study if not in the library?!"

"I also didn't tell him _what_ I was going to study." The young elf defended himself. "I could be in the library, studying history or politics or on the training fields, practicing swordfight and archery."

"But you're _not_ in _any_ of those places, Thranduil!" Legolas couldn't believe _he_ was the one saying those words to _his father_ , and not the other way around. "You lied to your Adar, my Prince and that's _not_ something a future king should do." The irony of the situation did _not_ escape him.

"A _future king_ should _also_ be able to do what he wants." The actual prince countered, defensively. "And all I _can_ do, has to be inside the palace. No hunting, no fishing and _definitely_ no camping trips." Thranduil whined and Legolas couldn't help but sympathize. He knew how hard it was to be a single child in the family, sometimes he envied Estel having two older brothers with whom he could do all kinds of stuff and go to all kinds of places, without Elrond being prissy about it. "I wish Ada wouldn't be so protective of me. I'm a big boy now, I don't need a nanny. If _my_ son was as old as I am now, I wouldn't lock him up in the palace. I'd let him have some fun on his own, see the world…what? Why are you looking at me like that, Legolas?"

The archer's eye was twitching.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 3

"Meeting King Oropher."

After Legolas got his _slight_ anger under control, Thranduil realized it was almost time for dinner and that his father never liked it when he was late.

"Ada is going to be so mad." The elfling whimpered, pulling Legolas's sleeve as they made their way towards the Mirkwood palace. "He'll probably take Bonbon away from me for an entire week! Or make me eat broccoli for _dessert_. _DESSERT_! For an entire _year!_ Yuck! I hate those green, little orc-spits! I think they were specifically designed to _poison_ us elves, don't you, Legolas? Because only an orc, or an dwarf, would be cruel enough to-"

"Yes that's all very fascinating, my prince." The older grunted trying to keep up with the small version of his sire, all the while not tripping in a very un-elf-like fashion. "But why are you dragging me to the palace?" Legolas asked, pushing away another treacherous tree-branch that dared to try scarring his face.

The small prince of Mirkwood turned around and smiled sheepishly at the archer.

"Well um…once we get to the palace my dad will be pretty angry and…well I can't take _all_ the blame, now can I?" The little brat answered, giving Legolas the most innocent, angel-like smile he ever saw.

"You are going to use me as a _scapegoat_?!" The future prince said, not believing, yet again, his ears. This was his _father_. The _same_ proud elf that bragged about taking responsibility for his actions, since a very early age, no matter _what_ the consequences might be. Just like a _real_ prince.

"'A king must know how to make sacrifices for the good of the kingdom, as well as the survival of the royal family'." Thranduil quoted from a 'how-to-be-a-good-king' book Legolas recalled reading, while he himself was but an elfling.

Brat.

The child's chest was puffed proudly, as if he already was the king of the Woodland realm.

"And, if my dad kills me now," Thranduil continued. "The second part of the rule will be violated." A giant grin spread across the young face. "And besides, I thought you soldiers were not afraid to give your lives, for the only successor to the throne." The prince added raising an eyebrow.

 _True, but you are_ not _the_ only _successor to the throne, anymore._ Legolas thought narrowing his piercing blue eyes at the elfling, as they continued their journey through the forest. _I might not be born yet, but I'm_ still _your son and therefore a prince of Mirkwood!_ He then quickly disposed of those thoughts, shaking his head. _Don't let your princeling father get to you, you idiot!_ Legolas scolded himself silently. _A lot of good that information does you, right now! Especially when, like you said, you don't even exist in this reality, yet!_ He wanted to kick himself. _Get a grip, Legolas!_

"What's the matter, _Legolas_?" Thranduil asked, speaking the taller archer's name with a mocking voice. "Afraid my daddy's gonna _spank_ you?" The boy then stuck his tongue at the archer, with his hands crossed on his chest. Seeing that the taller elf wasn't taking the bait, the little whippersnapper tried a different approach.

"Legolas is a _chicken_! A _chicken_ , a small, defenseless _chicken_!" Thranduil danced around, making chicken noises and moving his arms up and down like a chicks wings. "A yellow chicken afraid of orcs, sucks his thumb at night and can't shoot a target that's right in front of him!"

"Why you little-" Legolas whispered before breaking into a run to grab the child, with every intention of tying him to a tree, face first, and showing him just how _bad_ his aiming _really_ is.

Thranduil yelped and began running for his life through the castle doors, trying to gain some ground against the furious elf.

The two ran through well-known to them both halls, occasionally avoiding servants and warriors along the way.

"Get back here, you little brat!" Legolas yelled jumping over an expensive vise he knows, Oropher got from Earendil, Lord Elrond's father, a long time ago. His father never liked it when he touched it as a child, so he figured it was very important to the future king Thranduil.

"You're going to have to catch me first, Leggy!" The brattling called back, pushing a calmly standing tiny table onto the way behind him.

"Don't call me Leggy!"

"Leggy, Leggy, _Leggggggy_!"

"That's it! I'm using my bow and arrows!"

"Hey, hey, hey! Stop it! That one almost hit me, Leggy! Have you been taking lessons?!"

"Call me 'Leggy' one more time and I'll show you!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON AROUND HERE?!" A loud, commanding, no-nonsense voice called out from the other side of the hall.

Legolas gasped at the familiar tone and stopped so suddenly, he nearly tripped over his own feet.

Thranduil yelped louder than the last time and quickly changed he direction of his run, deciding that facing the archer and his bow and arrows is less dangerous than coming face-to-face with his father.

The future prince of Mirkwood could only watch as the young elfling hid behind him, when loud footsteps were heard approaching from the other side at an alarming rate.

 _Oh great._ Legolas thought to himself, cursing his luck. _Oropher is coming, oh joy. What the hell am I supposed to tell him?!_ He thought panicking. _'Hi there, grandpa Oropher! I'm Legolas, prince of Mirkwood! Son of the little abomination you call a child, here. I come from the far future, transported here by two halflings that decided it was a good idea to play around with Mithrandir's wand, in which, unfortunately, Sauron is still alive and kicking, and you are no longer king. Not because you decided it was my father's time to shine, but because uh…some orcs under the Black Gates kinda…un-alived you during the fearsome battle in about a few hundred years. Yeah...uh, enough about that! Let's focus on the good things instead, shall we? For example, you don't worry about Sauron and his lackeys, grandpa! Me, the heir of a guy called Isildur,_ whose _name means nothing to you because he wasn't alive during your time, four hobbits, a dwarf, a man named Boromir, Mithrandir and me were going on a quest to destroy the one ring…which wasn't forged yet so you don't know what I'm…talking…about…Uh…but yeah…all you need to know is that it needs to be destroyed and…damn it! Let me start over!'_

Legolas could tell Oropher will be just in front of him in a few seconds and was debating whenever it is wise to just run away.

 _Valar, what the hell am I supposed to say?!_


	4. Chapter 4

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 4

"Cold…oh so cold."

Legolas swallowed a lump in his throat as the tall figure of his diseased grandfather, appeared in sight. His posture angry and the metal plates on his gleaming amour, clinking as he moved.

Oropher was a good head taller than the Mirkwood archer, his long hair was in the uncanny color of pure silver and his royal clothing resembling more a knight's amour, than a fancy tunic that was usually Thranduil's preference.

Legolas's grandfather was a warrior king. A leader of war, not peace. And wasn't afraid to put his life at risk, for his soldiers. A trait that was passed on to the future prince of Mirkwood, much to the worry of future king Thranduil.

Wherever conflict appeared in his realm, he didn't send his generals and captains too sort it out.

He sent himself.

As he got closer the young Mirkwood archer resisted the urge to turn around and run. He heard the terrifying stories of Oropher's wrath, that were nearly as famous as Thranduil's, when he was a elfling and elf-maiden's used those tales as a means of scaring him for being naughty.

And the one thing that made those stories all the more creepy was the fact that, during that time, Oropher was already _dead_.

And what was scarier than an alive, _angry_ grandfather Oropher?

Why, a _dead_ , angry grandfather Oropher, of course. One that can hunt you forever and ever.

And, frankly, little Legolas had a great fear of ghosts.

That knowledge was often used by hand-maidens that grew tired of mending his leggings, every time he returned from his playtime in the woods.

And currently, Legolas was coming dangerously close to actually being able to compare the two sides of Oropher and seeing which one is indeed, more terrifying.

The archer was _not_ looking forward to it.

"Thranduil Oropherion." The king's loud, booming voice pulled the future prince of Mirkwood out of his musings. "Explain you're resent unorthodox behavior, _immediately_!"

Legolas could feel his father pressing his face against the back of his knees and hugging his legs, not wanting to face his own sire's anger.

" _Thranduil_." The king said, his tone warning. "Do _not_ make me repeat myself, _boy_." His voice was cold and hard as steel, a tone no one should use when addressing a mere elfling. "Be the responsible prince I raised you to be, and explain to me why you ran away from your tutors, for the fourth time this month."

The little prince swallowed a lump in his throat and slowly unwrapped his hands from around Legolas's legs, taking that time to think of a reasonable explanation.

" _Thranduil!_ " The king was losing patience, what was evident in his tone. "I do not have all day for this! Explain yourself now, or suffer the consequences!" Legolas blistered. He should have known his father's legendary impatience, couldn't have come from his grandmother.

The elfling stepped up to his father, eyes downcast and back bent humbly.

"W-Well…you see A-Adar." Thranduil began, choosing his words carefully. "T-There was t-this b-big s-spider a-and I…I t-though, I c-could-" He was cut off before he could finish.

"The _truth_ , _boy_." Oropher's voice was close to a snarl as he towered over the young elfling. "I want to hear nothing but the _truth_ , leaving your mouth, _Thranduil._ " He narrowed his eyes at his only son. "And so far you have failed miserably, to fulfil my expectations."

The future prince of Mirkwood blistered at the coldness radiating from his grandfather. He has heard that he wasn't the kindest elf around, but he expected him to show at least a _bit_ of love, towards his single heir.

Legolas could hear Thranduil swallow again.

"I…I r-ran away b-because…" He whimpered, pulling on the edge of his tunic. "B-Because I-I w-wanted to p-play a little m-more amongst t-the trees, A-Adar."

A minute of silence filled the hall, as both the present and the future prince of Mirkwood awaited the king's answer.

What left the lord's mouth, hurt more than a thousand slaps in the face.

"I am _disappointed_ in you, _Thranduil_." Oropher whispered harshly, saying his son's name like it was a curse of the worst kind, as he turned his back to both the young archer and his heir.

"B-But, Adar-" The little one cried, tears dripping down his cheeks.

"You will _not_ address my person as such, until you learn what it means to be a _prince_." Oropher growled, icy eyes sparkling with rage, as he looked over his shoulder at the child. "Now go to your chambers and stay there until you see the sun rise again." He added, coldly. "You'll be missing dinner tonight as punishment."

"B-But-"

" _Dismissed!_ "

The scared prince nearly jumped at the loudness of Oropher's dismissal, before he bowed hurriedly and turned away to leave. To cry to his pillow, for the rest of the night.

" _Stay_." Came the sharp command from Legolas's lips.

Oh the young archer was more than angry, more than enraged at how his grandfather treated his son. This cannot continue, and if nobody else is brave enough to stand up to Lord Oropher, then so be it.

He _will_.

Hearing the unknown elf speak for the first time, Oropher turned around, his slightly surprised eyes meeting Legolas's blazing orbs.

"H-Huh?" Thranduil asked, his voice shaky and weak.

" _What did you say?_ " The king snarled, narrowing his eyes at the elf he now realized was in the room as well.

"I said, _Stay_." The future Mirkwood prince repeated, albeit a lot more forcefully, his eyes not leaving Oropher's form.

"You _dare_ go against my order, _elf_?" Oropher asked, voice cold and demanding as he slowly made his way over to the blonde, using his taller figure to his advantage.

"Yes. I _dare_." The archer answered, caring little for the lord's size. "Because I for one, will not allow my prince to be unfairly punished." Legolas accused, voice steady. "Even if his punisher takes the form of my king."

"How _I_ raise _my children_ does not concern you, _elfling_." Oropher replied, coldly. "So I _suggest_ you _stay out of my way_." He warned, voice low and threatening.

"It _does_ concern me if he is to be my future ruler, my king." The archer answered calmly, using the same chilly tone. "And I don't see how punishing him so harshly for being a child, teaches him _anything_ about ruling a kingdom."

"Thranduil needs to learn _discipline_ , if he wishes to survive being a _king_ in these dark times." Oropher growled, taking a quick glance at his son. " _Nobody_ will follow a leader, who doesn't act like one. He needs to know that, or Greenwood the Great will fall the first week of his rule.''

"Acting one's age, is not a sign of weakness!" Legolas yelled, losing his legendary patience. "By the Valar, my king! Look at him!'' He pointed at the terrified young one. "Thranduil is a _child,_ not a three-hundred year old elf, ready to be crowned king!"

"Thranduil is a _prince!_ " Oropher yelled back at the unyielding young archer. "The only heir to the throne Mirkwood has, and will ever get." The warrior King's voice cracked as he whispered softly the last sentence, before hardening his voice once more. "He has lost the right to a normal childhood, ever since the war with Morgoth began." The king added angrily. "Thranduil may still be a youngling but he's also, if I ever fall in battle, the only thing that stands between the evil at our borders and the innocent lives in the kingdom." The king then looked again at his only son. "And I will _not_ leave my father's kingdom in the hands of an _incapable_ leader."

The young archer sighted and restrained from rolling his eyes.

He was getting _nowhere_ with this conversation, Thranduil was still being harshly punished for missing his lessons and Oropher refuses to see the effect it has on the boy.

But…his eyes sparkled with a bit of idea, what if he proposes a compromise that will satisfy both the stern king and the fun-hungry prince?

"And you will not have to, my king." He said slowly, gaining the king's attention. "For I may have a solution to stop the young prince's notorious disappearances from classes."

Oropher raised an eyebrow.

"And what would that be?"

"My guess is the lessons are not interesting enough for the young lad to sit through for so long, and that's why he constantly runs away."

Oropher snorted.

"He's not supposed to _like_ those lessons, _archer.''_ He said. "He's supposed to learn from them, not have fun.''

"Yes...'' Legolas slowly agreed. "But perhaps if they were lead more interestingly for him, he'd learn more and surprise you during the 'end-of-the-month' report."

The king thought for a moment.

"Let's assume I _do_ go along with your plan, little archer." He said eyeing the brave newcomer. "There are no teachers in my kingdom who'd instruct well enough, to catch Thranduil's attention."

"That will be no problem, my king.'' Legolas answered quickly. "If you allow it, I'd like to try my hand in tutoring the prince.'' As the words left his mouth, he heard a shirt gasp leave the young prince's throat.

Oropher didn't answer for a long time, eyeing the younger elf with his silvery-blue orbs, giving Legolas the impression that his suggestion was given way to soon, before sighting and nodding his head.

"Very well then. Starting tomorrow you shall be my son's new tutor, mister…"

"Legolas." The future prince of Mirkwood quickly supplied, shocked his plan actually worked.

"Legolas then. You will be given a quarter in the palace, as well as supplied with books that Thranduil is supposed to learn from." Oropher nodded at him before turning towards his son. "But this changes nothing about your punishment, Thranduil." He narrowed his eyes again. "You're still missing dinner.''

The prince nodded shortly, not letting his eyes leave the archer.

When the king left to take care of his kingly duties, Legolas sighted and looked down at his father.

"Well… that could have gone worse, right?''


	5. Chapter 5

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 5

"Lessons and shocking revelations."

After that… _conversation_ with Oropher, Thranduil took the young archer to his new room (which ironically turned out to be his _own_ room in the nearby future, faith's sense of humor is really ironic) where he spent the reminder of the day, thinking about just _what_ he got himself into.

The next morning Legolas found himself staring at the ceiling, watching the early rays of sunshine slowly make their way into the room, with his tired, bloodshot eyes. He didn't catch a nick of sleep trying to think of a way out of this terrible mess that the hobbits, not meaning to of course, threw him into.

So far all he got from the nightly 'Brainstorm' was a headache, a numb brain, puffy eyes and a deep desire to strangle two certain hobbits, as well as dully colored wizard that, so far, did _nothing_ to bring him back to his proper timeline.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by a servant knocking on his door, informing him that the royal family is awaiting him in the dining hall with breakfast.

Groaning the future prince of Mirkwood rubbed his swollen eyes and pushed himself off the comfortable bed, he was occupying.

Without much thought he walked out the room, since he didn't manage to change into a nightgown before darkness had befallen the room, and automatically made his way towards the dining area.

Once he reached the large room, he noticed that the spot he'd normally be occupying was now taken by Thranduil, and the spot his father usually sat at, was occupied by Oropher. Leaving him clueless to where _he_ should sit down.

The table was clearly not small, with too many chairs to count and a lot more food than Legolas saw during his entire life, but the archer didn't know how much more elves were going to join the breakfast feast and how many seats already had their owners.

After a few minutes of him standing and making a complete fool of himself, Thranduil seemed to pity his new instructor and indicated the seat nearest to him with a slight nod of his fair head.

Nodding thanks to his father, Legolas quickly took the seat and began making himself a small sandwich with tomatoes, salad and a couple of cucumbers. Which he then ate in an uncharacteristic hurry, convinced that, the faster he begins this day, the faster it will end.

In all that rush, the future prince of Mirkwood didn't notice that the king was watching him very closely.

Once everyone finished eating Legolas and Thranduil went towards the younger prince's study room, while Oropher went back to his throne room where he was awaited by several of his highest generals and commanders, waiting to give their reports.

Entering the small, yet cozy study room, Middle-Earth's best archer sat down on the opposite side of his young prince with the steaming mug of tea he stole from the dining room, while Thranduil placed his studying material before him.

"So…" Legolas began, picking up the boiling hot cup with his right hand and leading it towards his mouth. "What's the material you were working on with your last tutor before I showed up?" He took a long, sniff of the delicious liquid awaiting him in the glass container. "Diplomacy? History? Math…" The archer trailed off, taking a sip of his tea.

"Geometry."

Legolas spat his tea out.

* * *

Muriniel sighted at the sight of his pacing king in the throne room. Panic and fear decorating the king's proud face as the tall, silver haired elf mumbled something incoherent under his breath.

He hasn't seen his leader so nervous since the king's first battle as an official ruler.

"My liege are you sure, you're not mistaken?" The redheaded advisor asked gently, not being able to take Oropher's silence anymore.

"Of _course_ I'm sure, Muriniel." The king spat, his voice hard from the tension his whole body and mind was feeling from the absurd idea that entered his mind last night and plagued him ever since. "How could I _not_ be? At first…I wasn't sure, thought this whole idea to be a trick of my imagination. That this archer's many similarities to me was nothing but a _coincidence_. But, just as I began to accept it, I…I saw his eyes." The king looked in to the advisors honey colored orbs with his own, silver-blue ones. A color that was unique to the Greenwood royal family and them alone, passed down from generation to generation, since the first king.

No other elves had this fascinating mix of ice-blue and gentle, steely-silver in their orbs.

"Muriniel he has _my_ eyes."

* * *

"What do you mean _Geometry_?!" Legolas yelled once he stopped coughing out the droplets of tea that slipped down the wrong air pipe, while he was spitting out the hot liquid.

The future king Thranduil only blinked at him, confused about his outburst.

"Geometry has absolutely _nothing_ to do with leading a kingdom!" The green clad archer yelled, gripping his hair in a show of frustration. He couldn't _believe_ grandfather Oropher, would _put_ his son though this!

"Ada says a king should be knowledgeable in _all_ types of education." Thranduil argued, crossing his arms on his chest.

"No, Thranduil. A king should have knowledge of the studies that actually _matter._ " Legolas explained softly. "Math allows you to count our kingdom's wealth, take care of our economics and bargain trades with other races. Politics teach you the arts of negotiation and how to make laws to strengthen your kingdom. History shows you your people's backstory, gives you role models to follow in footsteps, strategies that could be used in future battles, warn you about mistakes that were made and shouldn't be repeated. All those classes have a _purpose_ , to make you the best king that can be." Legolas then snatched the large geometry book from the table. "This waste of time does _not_ share the purpose I described to you so, in order to fix it, I'm going to go to the library right now and exchange it for something more useful." With that he left the stunned prince alone in the study room.

 _Geometry._ Legolas sneered under his breath as he walked through the well-known halls towards the palace's book storage. _The only thing more pointless would be teaching him how to knit._

The large library wasn't far from the study room, so the future prince found it pretty quickly.

First thing he did upon entry was throw the book onto the nearest empty shelf, and immediately heading towards the section where the giant volumes of 'Greenwood's Legends' waited patiently for him to pick them up.

These book will do well in capturing the young future king's imagination and interest, for it was full of fantastic battles, noble heroes and fascinating adventures.

While he was reaching for the first tom of the large series, Legolas noticed the most bizarre looking young elf he ever seen.

The teen didn't look much older than Thranduil, had a bush a red hair, large glasses on his freckled nose and strange metal braces on his teeth, and was currently carrying a bunch of new books to the east wing of the library.

Shrugging at the sight, the archer swiftly pulled out the volume he wanted to borrow for the current prince and headed straight to the reception where the book will be labeled 'burrowed'.

"Excuse me." He called out the elleth behind the reception desk. "I would like to borrow this book, please."

The elleth nodded and then called out to her helper, who was somewhere in the library.

"Sauron! This archer here wants to borrow a book!"


	6. Chapter 6

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 6

"Bulling is universal."

Legolas could only stare at the young elf that made his way towards the desk, for the first time in his long life not believing his superior hearing.

This couldn't _possibly_ be who he _thought_ this was.

Once the redhead placed himself in front of the archer he smiled kindly, showing off his impressive bracers that decorated the top line of his pearl-white teeth.

When the elder elf didn't react to his smile only continued to, a bit rudely, stare at him the young librarian cleared his throat to gain the other's attention.

"Yes? May I help you, Sir?" The child asked, pulling the blonde out of his shock. Caught staring Legolas's cheeks rightfully went pink as he rubbed the back of his neck, coughing awkwardly and feeling rightfully ashamed.

"Y-Yes please, I'd like to borrow this book." He pushed the said book into the boy's hands, before the child could question him about his staring.

The red-haired elf quickly looked over the object in his hands, to determine if its last user was respectful and responsible with using it, and not leaving 'donkey ears' at the sharp ends of the pages or jam stains on the words. Nodding his approval, the boy began checking if the 'Legend Collector' isn't booked for borrowing, before giving it to its new owner.

"All right, the book is free to use till the end of the next month Mr…?"

"Legolas, and I'm terribly sorry for staring at you, young one." The archer said, looking at the floor in shame. "That was terribly disrespectful of me."

The teen just shrugged, leaving the blonde archer with the sickening impression that this wasn't the first time this happened.

"Don't worry about it." He said in an almost nonchalant way. "I tend to get that a lot now that they came up with the brilliant idea of calling me 'Sauron', so…I'd be lieing if I said I wasn't used to it."

Legolas's head popped up at that.

"Wait…'Sauron' is not your real name then, little one?" The teen confirmed that with a shake of his head. "Then why did the elleth call you that?"

"It's their way of telling me, I'm not one of 'them' because of my looks." He gestured to his wild red hair, freckle-filled cheeks and silver braces. "They took the name of a very loyal and dangerous servant of Morgoth that is believed to be the creator of the urug-hai, as well as the Maia responsible for creating the art of mass-producing orcs." The librarian explained calmly. "They branded me with this name because I'm not…pretty like they are and everything that isn't pretty, is branded by them as an 'orc' or an 'orc-spawn'." He sighted. "But, since I'm an elf just like them and they can't call me 'orc-spawn' in front of the king, they settled for the next best thing to torment me with." The boy's pointy ears dropped and his shoulders, already showing the signs of being broad when he grows up, slumped sadly. "Sauron-loyalist to Morgoth and creator of orcs." He whispered, giving Legolas back the book.

The young archer stared at the child in disbelief regarding his words. Could the younglings from his beloved Greenwood the Great, really be that heartless? Branding a fellow elfling with the name of a servant of evil and creator of heartless monsters that killed their king in every war, sounded unbelievingly cruel. A word that _shouldn't_ be associated with _cute little elflings_!

"Did you tell anyone about this?" Legolas asked, making the boy look up at him curious. "Your superiors? The head librarian? The palace guard? The king? _Anyone_?" The archer's questions became more and more desperate, every time the red-head shook his head in 'no'.

"Even if I did, what difference would it make?" The child asked, defeated. "The grown-up rarely take matters like this seriously, dismissing them as harmless games. Besides, I'm a commoner, a child from a lowly family took-in by the elf Lord of Imladris and sent here to study in the ways of an archivist. They are the sons and daughters of Lords and powerful traders." He then turned around and began to walk towards the nearest shelf. "Why would the elders help someone like me?" Legolas heard the boy whisper before completely disappearing from sight.

The young archer watched him go with only one thought lingering in his mind:

 _Erestor?_

Thranduil was getting really _bored_ sitting infront of his desk and counting leaves on the tree, on the other side of the large window in his room.

Legolas left twenty minutes ago and the young prince doesn't believe that walking over to the library, taking out a book, borrowing it and returning back to their quarters, would take a total of those minutes.

Groaning loudly in displeasure Thranduil was about to run away from classes again, when the source of his discomfort opened the door and entered the room.

"Finally!" He threw his teen arms in the air. "What took you so long?"

"I was…side-tracked, my prince. Forgive me for being late." Legolas promptly apologized before setting himself on the extra chair next to the elfling.

"It's okay." Thranduil smiled brightly at him. "So, what are we going to learn today, Legolas? Are you going to tell me about the Dragon country that lived above the clouds? Or show me how to use a bow? Or teach me how to take down an Oliphant with a slingshot?! Huh? Huh?! Will you?! Will you?!"

"Perhaps another day, Thranduil." Legolas answered with a patient smile. "Today let me tell you about bullying…"

JA107: Yay! Crisis avoided! XP. And sorry if the hair is wrong on Erestor but don't worry, I can fix this too. I heard that red hair darkens with time so, just take that into account and everything will be fine.


	7. Chapter 7

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 7

"Something's are just meant to be..."

"So you're saying I'm _not_ supposed to talk down to peasants even if they happen to be stinky little dwarves?" Thranduil asked, trying to see if he's getting the message Legolas is trying to teach him, as he sat at his desk.

" _Especially_ when they happen to be stinky little dwarves." The young archer emphasized the word 'dwarves', and mentally sent an apology to Gimli and his kind for calling them 'stinky', hoping to prevent the future king from despising the smaller race so much.

Thranduil, rather predictably, pouted his beautiful face at him.

"But they steal _rubies_." The elfling whined. "And are pigheaded meanies! And smell like _doggy_ droppings."

"They don't _steal_ rubies, Thranduil." Legolas explained ever so patiently. " _They_ are the ones that _dig_ them out of the ground, so that prissy little elflings like you can marvel at them. They are _not_ rude, they just have a specific way of showing respect." He paused. "And they _don't_ smell _that_ bad."

Perhaps, with the right argumentation, decades of resentment and hatred would be prevented from ever happening.

"Yes they _do_!" The future king yelled in defense. "Ada once had a dwarf king visit our palace to plan battle strategies and he didn't even wipe his shoes on his way in!" The child shook his head. "He didn't even wait for Muriniel to announce his arrival and just barged in on a very important meeting he had with the Gondorian people! And he didn't bow to father upon entry and very rudely demanded that he now focus on fixing _his_ problem!"

Legolas was very swiftly regretting his recent choices in life.

"Perhaps he was in a hurry." Legolas answered quickly. "From what I gathered it was during war time, it could have been that his people were in grave danger and he had not time to lose."

Thranduil snorted.

"Maybe, but that _doesn't_ explain why the next day I couldn't eat my breakfast, because all the silverware _mysteriously_ disappeared along with the dwarf king and his escort!"

How is that Gimli's ancestors are so _adamant_ to prove him wrong?!

"Well…maybe he _needed_ the extra silver to melt into weapons?" The future prince read somewhere that it was done once or twice throughout the ages, so nobody could accuse him of making this up.

Thranduil was proving to be just as stubborn as his adult-self claimed _Legolas_ was.

"Come on, my prince." The archer tried. "They can't _all_ be bad."

But the little pest was having none of it.

"Oh yes they _are!"_ He exclaimed. "They're even getting _famous_ for it! Like in that story where the beautiful human lady was running away from an evil queen, was _forced_ to clean up their _clothes_ and cook them _food,_ in order for them to let her stay! Those evil dwarves kept her inside their home and didn't let her come outside, even for a _walk_! It was only when the brave and noble prince charming came and recused her, that she was free from those _tyrants_!"

Legolas, for a solid minute and a half just blinked confused beyond belief, until the pieces finally clicked in his head.

"Wait a moment…you mean that fairytale 'Snow White'?"

Thranduil looked offended.

"That is _not_ a _fairytale_!" He pouted in typical children fashion, folding his small arms on his chest. " _Ada_ said it happened for _real,_ and a king _never_ lies!"

"That's not how the story goes!" Legolas argued, ignoring the elfling's earlier outburst. "The dwarves _didn't_ make her do all those chores, she _volunteered_ to do them in thanks for getting a warm bed and shelter!" He heard the story from the non-anti-dwarf Gandalf the Gray, so he has reasons to believe that the wizard's version was the correct one.

But the little prince waved the archer's correction away with his hand.

"That's just the version that the dwarves are spreading out so that they don't look so bad." Thranduil shrugged and the bewilderment on his new teacher's face. "Ada always said that: 'the truth is often _very_ painful to confront, and that's why people lie to themselves to avoid facing the issue directly'."

Legolas was rubbing his face with more force than necessary, by the time the boy finished talking. It seemed that his father was always _meant_ to hate dwarves, and no interference can ever change that.

"But, if you're still not convinced, they also took all of Cookie Balrog's carrots and some of my favorite rubies, not to mention Muriniel's favorite gold plate, Caedmon's sword, Kala's brooch…" And the list went on and on.

After a minute Legolas lost all faith that this brattling of his father, is going to _ever_ let the matter go. So he did the smartest thing that came to his mind.

He placed a hand over the elfling's mouth, effectively preventing more words from coming out.

"Okay, okay…I see that your opinion of dwarves is already to solidly construct to change." The blond prince only let go of the child, when he was sure he won't continue his rant. "You win this round."

The look Thranduil was positively shining with raw smugness.

Legolas rolled his eyes in exaggeration and ruffled the child's platinum blond hair to distract him from looking so cocky.

"Oi! Stop that! You don't get to do that! Only _Ada_ gets to do that!" The child yelped and then began fixing his ruined hair with his hands.

"Whatever you say, Your _Littleness_." Legolas's voice was full of sarcasm and mirth, which earned him a showing off of his own father's tongue.

Huh…there's a situation the archer definitely didn't imagine himself getting involved into.

"Well…I suppose we can take a lunch break." The archer stated looking outside at the beautiful weather. "Perhaps we can have a small picnic outside the castle grounds?"

Upon hearing the words 'outdoors' and 'picnic' the frown on the little prince's face immediately turned into a bright smile.

"Yes! Yes please!" Thranduil bounced up and down around his teacher who laughed at his enthusiasm. "Can we go by horse? Can I take Shirin, I always wanted to take her for a ride! You can take Jinni in that case, she's almost as fast. Can we go to the lake? Can you show me how to fish? Please? Please?!"

"Alright, my prince." Legolas chuckled and grabbed his father's hand. "If the king allows us to go, then we will go."

Thranduil nearly dragged him to his father's private chambers, he was so excited.

* * *

When Oropher was young and impatient to taste the world, he did a lot of things he isn't proud of today. One of those things was taking advantage of a fellow elleth, when he was drunk at a friend's begetting day.

He apologized the next day of course, though it wasn't entirely his fault for his friends put him up to it and he wasn't in control of his actions at the time, and even paid the young girl a lot of money to keep her parents from fussing.

That happened so long ago that the silver haired king completely forgot about that embarrassing incident of his youth.

But the past has a way of coming back to haunt you.

And now there was a big chance that the consequences of that one faithful day, were standing in front of him asking if he can take little Thranduil for a picnic.

* * *

JA107: Drear readers! Sorry for the wait but my final exams are coming and I don't have as much time as I had before to write. Also I wanted to apologize for any continuity errors that might occur *cough cough* the Sauron thing *cough cough* because, let's face it, 'Lord of the Ring's' has an ENORMOUS lore that is far too big for my pea-sized brain to memorize. So take this story with a grind of salt and have fun :D


	8. Chapter 8

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 8

"Having to be sure."

Oropher could barely hear Thranduil's exited voice asking him to allow them to go for a short lunch outside the palace grounds, his attention focused on his older companion. Piercing silver-blue eyes searching for the smallest confirmation of his earlier suspicions.

So far, now that he saw the young archer up close for a longer period of time, he can _definitely_ see the resemblance they had to each other.

Legolas, like he told Muriniel before their meeting, had the classic silver-blue eyes that was a trait passed down from one Greenwood king to all his children for generations. Not to mention the boy's physique was _very_ similar to his own, even _if_ the elf's height and softer muscle tone came from his commoner mother. The king might not know the young warrior's exact age but it was clear that he was a _lot_ younger than Oropher and was Thranduil's senior by just a couple of centuries, a _perfect_ fit to be called the _bastard_ son of the Greenwood ruler. Valar, even his _hair_ matched Oropher's suspicions, for the king could still remember the softness of Aralia's honey colored hair under his hands as he gently stroked it all those centuries ago.

A large lump formed in his throat and the proud warrior-king had to fight _hard_ in order to silently swallow without giving away his discomfort to either of the young elfs, quietly averting his eyes to the side when Legolas looked at him trying to determine their chances of gaining his allowance.

The poor king felt as if he was placed against an army of enraged Oliphant's, with _nothing_ but his _pocket knife_ to defend himself.

Valar…he really _was_ facing a child he unintentionally left behind in a family that probably couldn't _afford_ the additional mouth to feed.

Not _all_ elfs can live a happy life in comfort. _Especially_ in a country that, at the time, was at the very start of the war era… _that_ was usually reserved for the king and his family.

Aralia, though beautiful and smart, came from a farmer family that lived in the outskirts of Mirkwood. The father was occasionally asked to over-watch the breeding season of the royal elks and horses at the place stables, but most of the time he and his family ate anything they could find while caring for the wild animals in the forest.

To Aralia's family having a child was a _necessity_ , somebody had to inherit the farm after all, but leaving them with a _baby_ grandson to raise and feed when they _barely_ have enough food for _themselves_ , was like tying a rock to a horses leg and expecting it to float.

It _won't_ , the rock will drag it down to the very _bottom_ and horse will _drown_.

While he _did_ pay them a handsome amount of money, it was _hardly_ enough to rise a growing elfling to his adult years.

Not only that, the then young prince, never did _anything_ to find out if his drunk _misadventure_ resulted in getting the young elleth pregnant, like it had every _right_ to.

If he had only _listened_ to his friend Muriniel and gone to visit her at least _once_ , then Legolas wouldn't have had to grow up without a father. Perhaps Aralia would have even let him take their child to the palace to be raised as a prince since she knew he would have a better life with his biological father than with her and her family, and Thranduil would have had an older brother to look up to.

Everyone would have been _happier_ if he wasn't such a _frightened_ little _elfling_ that didn't have the _guts_ to own up to his mistakes like the future king his father raised him to be.

Now he was forced to face the child he has forsaken, all grown up and willingly spending time with a boy he doesn't know is his little _brother_. Kneeling before a throne he can lay legal claim to if anything happens to Oropher simply by being the king's first born.

Half-blood prince he may be, but the law still stands.

 _Valar_ , he probably doesn't know Oropher was his real _father_ , let alone that he's the heir to the Greenwood throne.

If he did, their first conversation would have gone down a _lot_ differently, the king is sure about it.

Oropher was now having a hard time even looking Legolas in the eye, feeling ashamed for not being an active part of his life when the boy _needed_ him to be.

"So _can_ we go to the park, Ada?" Thranduil's voice made the king look stop mentally berating himself and look towards him, his younger son's big silver-blue eyes were begging for him to let them eat outside.

 _Well…_ Oropher thought to himself rubbing his chin. _It would make up somewhat for the time they lost and Thranduil could use some extra archery practice_. He already denied Legolas _one_ important family figure in his life, he'd be _damned_ if he ends up taking another one.

"You may go," He agreed earing happy smiles from both his sons. "But make sure you return to the palace before curfew, the orcs living just outside the borders are getting bolder every day. I don't want to end up looking for the two of you past midnight, understood?" He tried to sound like the stern king he introduced himself as but knew he failed when Legolas gave him a bright smile with a tad of mischievousness in it.

"Don't worry, my king." Oropher had to stop a flinch going down his spine at being called that title by his own flesh and blood, it just didn't sound right anymore. "I'll make sure this little _imp_ gets home in time to hear his bedtime story." He then ruffled Thranduil's hair, much to the younger's dismay.

" _Stop_ that!" The child scolded, though the corners of his mouth were lifting slightly. "To your _information_ , I don't _need_ a bedtime story to fall asleep!" Thranduil stuck his tongue out at the blond archer. "And I'm _not_ an _imp_!"

Legolas just rolled his eyes and ruffled the brat's hair again.

"Whatever you say, my prince. Come on, let's go before your father changes his mind and makes us stay indoors for the rest of the day."

Thranduil couldn't get out fasted after hearing that, pulling his new caretaker with him.

Once they were out of sight Oropher let out a frustrated sight, slumped in his throne and ran a hand down his face.

"I'm guessing you got your confirmation, sir." Muriniel asked, appearing out of nowhere at his side.

"He looks like a mix between me and Aralia, Muriniel." The king muttered from behind his hands. "What is there to doubt?"

"That may be true, my king." The loyal servant said gently. "But perhaps the extra opinion on the matter from a trusted friend that knows a bit more about biology, would be helpful in fortifying his belonging in the royal family."

Oropher though for a minute, before replying.

"Very well, send an invitation to Eärendil and his family to come visit until after Thranduil's birthday." He smiled gently. "I'm sure my little boy will enjoy playing around with his mischievous twins again."

"I'm sure the young prince will be excited to see them, sir."

Oropher chuckled.

"Which can't be said about the kitchen staff." He gave his oldest friend one of his rare grins. "You remember what happened last time?"

The fellow elf smiled back.

"How could I forget, my king? The aftermath of their 'special stew', made the chief cook put us all on a 'broccoli only' diet for a month."

Oropher laughed.

"Let's make sure that story doesn't repeat itself, shall we?" He said, winking at his friend and advisor.

"I'll have the kitchens locked up the minute they enter, my king."

* * *

JA107: Hi, guys! I'm back again! I'm sorry if the continuity still seems off, but if it bothers you so much just tell yourself that this a 'back in time' story and, like it or not, Leggy is changing history just by being there and interacting with those around him.

Hope you still like it.

JA107 over and out


	9. Chapter 9

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 9

"A meeting in the forest."

The sky was crystal clear blue outside when Legolas and Thranduil exited the palace stables on their chosen mounts, riding as fast as their animal companions would allow them to. Young future king was riding a beautiful black mare with white socks and light brown mane and tail called Shirin, while the blond archer was carried by a blond chestnut one with a black mane.

Though not as swift and agile as his beloved Arod, Jinni wasn't a sloppy horse. She still responded to his commands quickly and rarely rebelled against his control, clearly well trained by her caretakers.

It was clear to Legolas that the two mares must be his future father's favorites, for he barely had to do anything to steer Jinni in the right direction. Both Jinni and Shirin were _so_ used to going towards the picnic ground, that they practically lead _themselves_ there, no help required.

"I know just the place!" Thranduil exclaimed happily as they jumped over a small family of ducks. "It's nice, quiet and, best of all, _private_! Ada stopped sending patrols here because the troops would take off their armors and go for a little swim whenever they passed by that point, and he would always get angry when they'd came back with their underwear wet and there was no rain." The elfling giggled. "I always loved watching them get yelled at in front of every elleth in the throne room, it was more entertaining than _jesters_ and _folk gossip_ sometimes!"

Legolas laughed as his imagination worked to visualize what that scene would look like. An angry silver haired king yelling his head off at an entire platoon of highly trained soldiers standing in front of him, looking more _sheepish_ than a pack of bald _sheep_.

"Lead the way then, my prince." He called smiling. "Any place that can make a soldier discard his duties for a little relaxation is a _must_ in my book."

The child was practically jumping in his saddle, and it wasn't because of the horse.

"You'll _love_ it there, I _swear!_ " The child declared. "There's a giant lake, _lots_ of fruit trees and a ginormous _waterfall!_ " Thranduil's excitement had no bounds. "Of course there's also a bunch of wild animals there too, like the squirrel family and the robin colony, but they're all friendly I assure you! Even the wolves and foxes! They never bite and even let me play with their cubs! I named my favorite ones Azazel and Bastevall. Az is gray with big green eyes that remind me of jades, while Basty is probably the _orangest_ fox I have _ever_ seen and I have seen a _lot_ when I'm out hunting with Ada! They're really cute and fluffy! I wanted to take them home with me but Tom said they'd be happier here with their mom and siblings, so I let them stay. I always visit and play with them when I have the time, though. I even got Az to sit on command! Basty isn't made to be a trick performer, unfortunately. I would be so _cool_ if he was, though. He'd be the first ever fox to do the 'drop dead' trick! And maybe even help me hunt dragons! Those overgrown lizards always have treasures in their nests, you know. Tom even said he even met one or two during his travels, said they're an unfriendly bunch with fire-like tempers and no sense of humor, so I don't think they'll be missed when I come and slay them for their treasures." The prince paused for a brief second, looking thoughtful. "Legolas will someone miss the dragons when I kill them?"

The archer blinked, taken by surprise by the question, before breathing out a thoughtful sight and scratching the back of his neck.

"Well…to be quite honest with you, my prince, I don't really think so." He answered the curious child besides him. "With them living most of their lives in their caves guarding their riches and only going out to plunder and steal cattle, I'm pretty sure most people think of them as pest that need to be eliminated." Legolas snorted. "I sure did not cry when Smaug finally plundered to his doom, and I'm certain that nobody in Lake Town shed a single tear upon watching his demise."

He didn't realize his mistake until it was too late.

"Smaug?" The boy questioned as his horse throttled along a sandy path. "But he's not _dead_ , he's a _baby_. Dad said he lives in a cave somewhere far away, he won't let me know where exactly because he's afraid I'd go looking for him, along with his mother and siblings. That little guy is barely big enough to eat a horse, yet." He looked at Legolas with a questioning expression on his cute little face. "Why would he have anything to do with Lake Town? And why would he be dead?"

The archer swallowed averting his eyes to the left, cursing his thoughtlessness and trying desperately to think of something to distract the little brat from the obvious contradiction regarding the fire breathing lizard.

Suddenly, he had an idea, a question that has been bothering him ever since Thranduil began speaking about his 'private place'.

"How about we play a game, my prince?" He began. "I'll answer _your_ question if _you_ answer one of mine first, deal?"

The boy looked thoughtful for a minute, clearly thinking though his options before nodding his head in agreement.

"Alright." Thranduil said, his voice careful and wary of any tricky questions. "Ask your question then."

Legolas simply nodded though inside he was rejoicing, perhaps the future king will be too busy rambling about the answer to remember his little mistake.

"Who is this 'Tom' you keep on mentioning?" As long as the he lived, Legolas couldn't remember a single person bearing this strange name and _he_ was friends with a man that fancied calling himself ' _Strider_ '. He befriended _so much_ people with unique names, it has practically become a tradition now. He remembered Mithrandir laugh once saying: 'If there ever was a league of people with the most _ridiculous_ sounding names in all of Arda, Legolas Greenleaf Thrandulion will probably befriend each and every one of them.'

"Oh, him?" Thranduil blinked caught off guard for a minute, but then immediately brightened up again. "He's my best _friend_. I talk to him a lot when Ada allows me to visit Az and Basty, or when I'm alone in my room with nothing to do." The child explained. "I can't really meet with him all that often because I'm always busy with lessons and battle training, but when I _can_ we spend the whole time munching on cookies and sharing _magnificent_ stories! Ada never met him though, because he's so busy with his kingly duties so he never really met him." At that moment Legolas thanked his lucky stars that his idea worked. "Tom is really old, and I mean like _really_ , he told me he was here before even the _Valar_ came! And he's _immortal_ just like _us_ , though he's not an elf, believe me I checked! And he sings a lot! He likes songs so much, you even have to _sing_ a song for him to come visit!"

"That's… _quite_ the friend you've got there, my prince." _So much so I'm pretty sure he's not real_. Legolas thought as he considered all the information he had on the mysterious character, as he got off his horse and began unpacking his pack.

"You have no _idea!"_ The boy giggled. "Say…how about I introduce you to him?! Yeah! That's a great idea! We'll have _so_ much _fun_ together! I'm sure you'll get along just fine!"

"Uh…sure." Legolas answered absent-mindly as he spread the colorful blanket he brought along. "I don't see why not." _Except for the fact where he's an **imaginary** friend that that my future father believes is a **real** person. _ He thought to himself before sighting. _This is going to be a long day, I just know it._

Thranduil, of _course_ , couldn't be happier.

"Awesome! I'll call him right away!" The hyper child screamed while bolting towards the tree line before Legolas had the chance to answer.

The archer simply shook his head and began to undo the riding equipment on the horses so that they also can enjoy the beauty of the surrounding scenery, without it weighting them down.

Just when he was about to place Jinni's saddle equipment on the grass, Thranduil's youthful voice filled the air.

 _"Ho! Tom Bombadil, Tom Bombadillo!_

 _By water, wood and hill, by the reed and willow,_

 _By fire, sun and moon, hearken now and hear me!_

 _Come, Tom Bombadil, for my need is near me!"_

Once the short song ended Legolas took a deep breath to prepare himself for the charade that will now begin.

Just as he was about to turn around to face his father and his…'friend', he heard a _voice_ answer the boy's call.

"Thranduil Oropherion! You little _scamp_!" The voice laughed merrily. "What have you gotten yourself into _this time_ , my young elfling friend?"

That's when Legolas finally turned around to face the _imaginary_ friend that turned out to not be so _imaginary_ after all…

* * *

A/N: *Hides under bed* Please don't kill me…


	10. Chapter 10

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 10

"The timely arrival of the first set of Twin Pranksters."

Julie: Even though they were supposed to appear a bit later in the story but, ah what the hell? Here they are in all their prankster glory everyone!

You may thank/yell at me later

* * *

"I can't thank you enough for coming so quickly at such a short notice." Oropher said, watching his old friend, wearing typical hunting robes as opposed to the elegant ones he wears on the daily basis, ride through the proud gates of Greenwood along with his escort and twin sons, clad in clothes that were in a similar fashion to that of their father.

"Ah don't even mention it, mellon-nin." Eärendil said with a smile. "Me and my boys were in the neighborhood hunting for orcs, so _you_ are actually the one doing _us_ a big favor, my friend." He then shot an angry glare towards his sons who, for some reason, suddenly found the grass under the hooves of their horses to be very interesting indeed. "Because I just found out that all of our food supplies have mysteriously _vanished_ without a trace."

"It wasn't our fault, Ada!" The younger of the twins, Elrond said in their defense.

"That is correct, father!" Elros added, nodding his head furiously. Eärendil just rolled his eyes. "If hadn't given up our food the invisible forest dragon would have chosen to eat _us_ instead!"

"You should really be _thanking_ us-"

"If it wasn't for our _amazing_ thinking skills and _enormous_ generosity, we would all be dragon _snacks_!"

"It really wasn't an _easy_ sacrifice to make, you know!"

"Not at all, good sir. Not at _all_!"

"The dragon was _ferocious_ and, and had the tastes for royal _elf_ blood!"

"Plus did you _know_ what we _had_ in those bags?! Well, did _you_?!"

"It was mother's famed _strawberry cookies_!"

"And you _don't_ give out those tasty treats to anything _below_ a snarling _dragon_!"

"Otherwise mother will think you don't appreciate her cooking efforts and decide that a week spent doing kitchen chores, will help you gain more appreciation for the food art as well as the person doing their upmost best to make every meal special and tasty."

"It would have been quite the _shame_ if such a punishment ended up befalling you at the end of this hunting trip, you being a lord of the elves and all."

"Agreed, dear brother. The shame in being grounded by one's own _wife_ would have been _very_ damaging to our dearest Ada's self-image."

"But don't you worry, dear parent! _Me_ and _Elrond_ will _gladly_ take the fall for you! Even _if_ you did try to make us seem like the guilty party, but that was _before_ you knew we _essentially_ saved you from a terrifying and giant fire-breathing _lizard_ , so we decided to be considerate and forgive you for that misconception."

"Yessir! Mother will be much less surprised that _we_ supposedly ate the baked goods before the appropriate time and nobody has to know about the dragon!"

"It'll prevent mass panic from breaking out in Greenwood, and you will be steered clear from receiving any kind of punishment!"

"It is practically a win-win situation for everyone!"

By this point Oropher was covering his mouth with his hand and shaking with silent laughter, while Eärendil was looking at his two rapscallions with a look on his face that suggested that he is _not_ as amused by this as his longtime friend is.

"How very… _considerate_ of you, my sons." The dark haired elf said flatly, getting off his dark mount and crossing his arms on his chest.

"You clearly love your Ada _very much_ to offer up the chance to take the blame in this…situation." Oropher added, trying very hard not to break into very loud laughter at this frankly quite unusual and funny scenario, unfolding before him.

It was clear to both of the elder elves that the twins are lieing through their _teeth_ about what really happened to the food supply, don't plan on revealing the truth any time soon and are clearly very confident that it will work without fail.

" _Indeed you do_ …" The proud elf purred at the two teenage elves, simultaneously sending the elven king a knowing look, one that informs the king of a plan hatching in the fellow elf's head. "However, before I decide if I will take your _generous_ offer, I only have _one_ thing to ask of the two of you."

Elrond and Elros looked at each other before turning back towards their parent.

"What would that be, Ada?" The younger asked, tilting his dark head to the side like a puppy.

"If the dragon was, as you previously stated, _invisible_ , how did you know it was giant and of forest origin?" Eärendil asked raising an eyebrow in a particular way that is _sure_ to be copied and used, by his offspring in the nearby future.

The nearly _identical_ shades of pale the twins turned after hearing the question was _almost_ as comedic as the way they tried to explain themselves, in large flurry of words and hand gestures.

"Well you see we were near a _forest_ at the time-"

"And aren't dragons _always_ big? Has there _ever_ been a full-grown dragon that's _not_ the size of a house?"

"So you _can't_ really blame us for assuming what we assumed, Ada."

"Agreed! You would have done the same!"

But Eärendil only shook his head at his rumbustious brats, before letting out a fatigued sight.

"My _dear_ Ion-Nins." He said looking at them displeased. "If you are going to continue lieing to me, at least _try_ to be _competent_ in your deception."

The boy's blinked, disoriented.

"What do you mean by that, Ada?" Elrond asked, looking to his brother to see if he knows what this is all about. Unfortunately for him, Elros had the same confused look on his face, as the future lord of the Last Homely House.

"We weren't lieing!"

"Correct! This is the fullest truth of all the fullest thruths that ever thruthed!"

How can you even accuse us of such a dishonorable de-" But the current lord of Rivendell stopped his older son from finishing the sentence, with the painful truth.

"There is no such thing as forest dragons." Eärendil stated flatly, eyebrow raised.

Two identical faces blinked and paled even more.

"R-Really?" Elrond asked, after swallowing and exchanging nervous glances with his twin.

"I'm afraid so." Oropher added shrugging. "Such creatures only exist in your imaginations, dear elflings."

"O-Oh…" Elros stuttered, nervously pulling at the edge of his robes before looking up fearfully at his father. "D-Does that mean we get grounded for a week, father?"

The proud Lord of elves narrowed his eyes at his sons, and kept his disappointed gaze fixated on them in order to see them squirm.

And squirm they did, long and hard, before the dark haired elder sighted heavily and rubbed his eyes.

"Get out of my sight before I change my mind and have you both do guard duty, until forest dragons become a real species!"

The two teens didn't have to be told twice, bolting from their spot on the road and disappearing into the surrounding trees, like the chickens that they are.

Once they were gone, Oropher let out a laugh.

"I see they haven't changed a _bit_ since the last time I saw them." He said, silver-blue eyes sparkling with mirth.

"No, they haven't." Eärendil responded with a weary chuckle. "They seemed to have stopped maturing on the 'pranking' stage of growth, I doubt they'll ever grow out of it…"

The Greenwood king gave his childhood friend a heathy slap on the back.

"Don't you worry about that, Mellon-Nin." Oropher winked at his friend. "I'm sure their offspring will return all the pain they caused you, _tenfold_."

Eärendil smirked and punched the silver haired elf in the arm.

"Easy for you to say, you lucky old dog, you." He teased fondly. "You've been gifted with a single solitary son, one who frankly is the _sweetest_ child I have seen in quite some time, so I don't really think I should be listening to you."

In response to those words the smile on Oropher's lips faltered and the sparkle in his eyes lost its brightness. He scratched his neck awkwardly, suddenly unwilling to look his friend in the eye.

Noticing the change in his companion's behavior, the Lord placed a hand on his shoulder in concern.

"Hey, buddy, are you alright?"

"You might be wrong." Came the quiet response.

"Wrong about what?" Eärendil asked, confused.

"The number of my children." Oropher whispered to the grass near his shoe. "It…it might be higher than you think."

"I don't understand." The lord of Rivendell shook his head. "What are you trying to say?"

"It's basically why I summoned you here." The king added, eyes still on the ground. "I…I need to be sure about something important and…I need your help for it to happen."

Eärendil sighted again and rubbed his temples.

"I should have _known_ this wasn't just about Thranduil's birthday."

Oropher chuckled mirthlessly.

"Sorry to disappoint."

His friend just gave him a look, before sighting again.

"Well, since I'm already here, I might as well help you with your problem." He conceded, before rapping his arm around Oropher's shoulder and leading them towards the castle.

"So…why don't you tell me what all this is about while we enjoy a nice tasty feast, hmm?"


	11. Chapter 11

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 11

"Explanations begin flowing."

"Let me get this straight..." Eärendil said, rubbing his forehead once all was said and done. "One day ago your son Thranduil came home after _sneaking away from studying politics_ bringing along a stray _Greenwood archer_ you _never saw before_ , as if he were a lost _puppy.._." He looked up at his friend sitting across from him on the dining table, looking more than a little sheepish when he nodded to confirm the elf lord's statement. "Then, after learning of your child's disobedience, you _chastised him_ in front of said young archer and he, not only _stood up to you_ and lived to tell the tale, but _also_ offered to be the child's teacher in order to prevent similar situations from happening in the future..."

Another mute nod from Oropher allowed Eärendil to continue his recap.

"Following the confrontation you realized that there are certain…similarities between you and the boy, ones that couldn't be present unless the two of you were somehow related. And, seeing that you don't have any other relatives besides Thranduil, you came to the only conclusion you had left."

He then looked straight into the silver-blue eyes of his childhood friend.

"That he is, in fact, a child you helped conceive during a time when you were _not_ the brightest star in all of Arda." The king had the decency to look properly chastised at the naked fact. "And now you want _me_ to verify if that's true?"

Oropher barely managed to hide the shame bubbling inside his stomach. He looked away from Eärendil's scorning brown eyes, even though he knew he deserved every chastising look the other elf had to throw at him.

Seeing his friend look so…guilty and regretful, made the brown haired lord sigh and cover his face with his hands.

 _Of **all** the stupid things we've done during our shared childhoods…_ He thought, his nimble fingers rubbing circles on his eyelids. **_Why_** _did it **have** to be the One Night Stand that comes back to bite him in the arse?_

He then glared at the silver haired king from between his fingers, clearly not about to let the matter slide until he was sure the warrior king was properly scolded for his wrongdoings.

Since both their parents were no longer walking upon Arda, it fell to him to ensure Oropher received his verbal punishment.

"If what you say is true, you really did it this time." He said, his usually gentle voice hard as steel.

"I know." His friend answered, his normally proud head low and voice meek.

"I still can't believe you took that stupid bet so far."

"I know."

"You should have known better."

"I know."

"I'm very disappointed in you."

"I know."

"I…don't really know what else to say to you."

"I…okay."

After that exchange the two of them sat in rather uncomfortable silence, not really knowing what else to do.

Eventually Eärendil couldn't take the silence any longer.

"If my diagnosis…confirms your fears." The brown haired elf swallowed. "Will you tell the boy?"

Fearful silver-blue orbs looked up at him before quickly falling back towards the ground.

"I…I don't know, Eärendil." The king said honestly. "I mean, what good will that do?" He asked with a sour smile. "Once he knows I'm his father, he's going to hate me for abandoning him. For never being there for him. And I honestly wouldn't blame him if he did. I deserve every bit of resentment he'd throw at me. "

"Oropher he'll have the right to know." The other elf reminded him sternly.

"I know, I know it's just…" Slim fingers made their way through long silver locks. "The thought of being resented by one of my own children…"

"Maybe he won't, you don't know that." Eärendil said trying to sound reassuring. "There is a chance that, if you explain everything, he'll understand."

The elven king let out an empty laugh.

"Understand _what_?" Oropher asked, his voice bitter. "That the almighty king of Greenwood was just as much an idiot, as any typical adolescent peasant? That said king was too much of a coward to go back and check up on the woman he took advantage of, preferring to bury that incident in memory and never confronting it again? That his existence is nothing but a mistake made by a young, foolish elf in puberty? _Really_ Eärendil…" He lowered his voice. "What is there to understand?"

A warm hand landed on the silver-haired king's shoulder.

"Come now, Oropher, stop this moping." The elf lord said softly, giving his childhood friend a strong squeeze in the shoulder. "You're acting as if this is the end of the world, which this is _not_ , mind you, and you should stop seeing it as such." He then flicked the other elf in the nose, a childhood gesture practiced whenever one of them was feeling down. "All is not lost, you overgrown oaf! You can still make this right, if you try."

" _Make this right?_ " The king repeated making sure to show how ridiculous the statement is to him. "How in the _world_ do I make years of blissful ignorance regarding his existence, ' _right_ '?!"

"By making them up to him of course.'' The ending 'you idiot' was left unsaid, but Oropher still frowned at it. "He may no longer be a small, defenseless elfling in need of constant fathering, but that doesn't mean he doesn't long for it every now and then." Eärendil then petted his friend on the back. "Just make him feel like there is someone he can call 'Ada'. Spend time with him playing chess or on hunting trips, ask him about his likes and dislikes to get to know him better…or, in other words, just do what you do with Thranduil." He punched his friend in the shoulder playfully. "You're _not_ a freshly baked father, Oropher, you should _know_ how to take care of a son by now."

The elven king snorted and whacked his friend on the head.

"Legolas is _not_ Thranduil's age, you orc-brain." He said mock-seriously. "He's actually closer to that of _your_ sons, now that I think about it."

"Alright, we have a deal then." The elf lord held out his hand. "If my tests confirm that he is, in fact, your firstborn, you'll gather your courage and tell him, and I'll give you some tips on how to take care of elflings his age. Agreed?"

Letting out a long sigh of relief that he won't be in this mess alone, Elvenking Oropher smiled and shook his friend's hand.

"Agreed."


	12. Chapter 12

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 12

"Back to the future."

"LEGOLAS! NO!"

When the innocent pretend-spellcasting actually managed to zap Legolas out of existence, who dived in just in time to save his best friend, it was fair to say that Aragorn lost it.

"WHAT WERE YOU TWO THINKING?!" He rounded on the two hobbits once the dust cleared and everyone snapped out of shock.

The mischievous halflings shivered under his furious gaze.

"W-We didn't know it would actually work, Mr. Strider Sir." Marry whimpered, looking close to crying.

"I-It was just for fun." Pippin whispered, hiding behind his older cousin. "W-We didn't mean to send him away, we swear!"

Gritting his teeth the ranger turned his angry eyes towards the staff's owner.

"Why are you just _standing_ there, Gandalf?" He practically snarled. "Bring him back!"

But the wizard just shook his head sadly, looking perplexed.

"I'm afraid, I cannot do that." He said quietly, walking up to Pippin and snatching his staff away from him.

"W-What?" The future king stuttered, before anger returned to his voice. "Why?!"

"I do not know where the halflings' pretend-spells sent him." Gandalf explained calmly. "And I doubt either of them remember which spell was the one that did this."

The meaning of those words hit Aragorn like a tidal wave.

"Are you saying…" His normally steady voice shaking. "That there is no way to bring him back?"

Gandalf could only lower his head, unable to look the future king in the eye.

Aragorn's hopes shattered the moment he realized the knowledgeable wizard could not bring his best friend back. Angry and terrified he lashed out on the nearest wall with a cry of rage, making the hobbits jump. The punch though powerful didn't leave a dent in the rocky contraption, angering him even more.

Frodo could only stare at the spot somewhere near the center of the room, only vaguely aware of Aragorn's outburst.

Mere seconds ago that spot was occupied by one of their comrades. A kind and lighthearted elf with a voice so melodic and beautiful it made you wish it never stopped singing, as well as a wit so sharp it never failed to make them all laugh.

But mistakes were made…

And now he was gone.

Boromir was still in shock that such an innocent looking game could end so tragically.

He may not have had the deep friendship with the elf that Aragorn had...

But he has lost friends that have been like brothers in the past.

The warrior from Rohan knew what it's like, to watch a loved one killed before your eyes and not being able to do anything about it.

He would not wish that kind of pain upon Sauron himself…

And yet it hit the supposed future king of Gondor.

Gimli… well… Gimli was nearly as angry and terrified as Aragorn was because…

While Legolas was a prissy, sassy and irritating elf that annoyed him more than anything ever did…

And sure, they've had their disagreements with Legolas's father locking up Gimli's in a dungeon, and their races generally disliking each-other since millennia before they were born…

That did not mean he wanted him to disappear…

Elrond's alarm bells went off the minute the blonde elf disappeared on their very eyes, his mind flashing to all the things that will happen once word of this reaches Thranduil.

For not only did he select his only child for a highly-suicidal mission without consulting with him first and foremost, but now said son was hit by a spell of unknown functionality that caused him to disappear, with Gandalf having no idea how to bring him back.

All this will certainly not help the already shaky alliance he had with the Woodland king, and will most likely end up with said ruler arriving with an angry army on his doorstep, declaring war to avenge his son.

Somehow facing a furious Thranduil Oropherion terrified him just as much, if not more, than facing destruction from Sauron's hands.

And while everyone was plagued with their own negative thoughts…

Only Samwise Gamgee was brave enough to voice what they all wanted to ask:

"Did that…" The blond hobbit asked, voice strained. "Did that kill him?"

The air stilled and the question hung in the air like a heavy storm cloud filled with unresolved tension.

Aragorn turned towards the elderly wizard, eyes wide and filled with barely controlled fear, ready to spring free the moment the demise of his best friend has been confirmed.

"Now, now, dear friends." Gandalf begun slowly. "Let us not be so negative, hm? I can assure you our elven comrade has not been expelled from this mortal plane, not to worry."

The remaining members of the Fellowship, and Elrond, let out a collective breath they didn't realize they were holding.

"Thank the Valar…" The future king of men said, the relief so powerful he needed to support himself with the very wall he abused mere seconds ago. "But… how can you be so sure?"

"While I might not know the exact spell used on our dear fellow, I am certain that was a teleportation spell and not one used to cause destruction." The wizard spoke, stroking his long silver beard. "Legolas was simply… placed somewhere else."

"Then we must find him!" Aragorn suddenly sprang into action. "He might be hurt or in danger!" He was already heading towards the stables, when Elrond grabbed him by the arm.

"As much as it pains me to say this, my son…" The elf lord took a deep breath and then let it out. "We must forget about Legolas and focus on what's important, and that's destroying the One Ring."

Appalled by his adoptive father's words, the future king of Gondor yanked himself out of Elrond's hold.

"Are you suggesting we just leave him alone?! With uruk-hai and orcs, things that have an enormous hatred towards elves, patrolling every inch in search for the ring?!" Aragorn couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Maybe you're different, Lord Elrond," He spat the title as if it was an insult. "But I never leave my friends when they need me the most."

Just as he was going to return to his newfound quest to find Legolas, Gandalf placed himself between the determinate ranger and the path towards the stables.

"Gandalf, what…" Aragorn whispered, shocked.

"I'm afraid Lord Elrond is right." The wizard said, voice serious bearing no room for argument. "We must trust that Legolas can find his way back to Rivendell from wherever the spell took him, on his own."

"Are you listening to yourself, Mithrandir?!" Aragorn demanded. "It's getting dark and he could be mortally wounded, and in desperate need of help!"

"I'm sure he wouldn't want you to postpone a mission that could save many more people from danger, just to save him." Elrond answered, placing a comforting hand on his son's shoulder.

The human turned away from both of them.

"He would _never_ leave me behind."

"Yes." Gandalf agreed. "But he's not humanity's last chance, my dear boy."

Aragorn gave no verbal reply, only slumped his shoulders in a helpless surrender.

"Come now, Aragorn." Gandalf placed his hand on the ranger's other shoulder. "If it will put you more at ease, I will try to contact him during our travels."

The future King sighed, slightly consoled by the knowledge that the elderly wizard will be doing his best to get Legolas out of the mess he was unwillingly thrust into, then nodded.

"Then it is settled." Elrond spoke up, with a heavy heart.

"You leave for Mordor at the break of dawn."

* * *

AN: For those who wondered what the rest of the Fellowship were up to ;)


	13. Chapter 13

"I'll name my son after you."

Chapter 13

"Double Trouble."

Legolas thought the day can't get any stranger when his father's 'Imaginary Friend' turned out to be a quite real, plump happy elder man that had a passion for rhyming.

But this deceitful, sunny day wasn't even halfway done with him.

Not by a _longshot_.

And when he excused himself from the conversation said friend, named Tom, was having with Thranduil to gather some more water from the lake, it decided to make that fact known.

He was just about to finish filling the teapot with more water, when the nearby bushes began to… move.

Squinting his eyes to slits, the blonde archer placed the pot on the grass and pulled out his bow. Since there was no way a wild animal could be so noisy when in the vicinity of an unknown humanoid being, he assumed it had to be an orc or some other creature with malicious intent.

Turns out he was right only about one of those things.

"Boo!" A younger looking elf screamed jumping out of the bush, nearly scaring the poor future prince of Mirkwood into shooting on instinct. "Got you there, stranger!"

For a minute all the archer did was stare at the brash youth before him, before his mind caught up to what the idiot just did and how this situation almost ended.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Legolas bellowed. "What were you _thinking_ sneaking up on an armed elf?! I could have _shot_ you!"

"But you didn't." The smug little bastard answered proudly, amusement crinkling in his chocolate eyes.

"Well considering you _snuck up on me,_ I had every right to!"

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because then you'd be _dead_ , you numbskull!"

"Is that so… I think you didn't shoot me because you knew it wouldn't hit."

"You're an arm's length away from me, you _dolt_. I believe even a _blind elfling_ could shoot you at this distance!"

"And yet you still didn't shoot me… I wonder what that says about _your_ archery skills."

"I'm sorry but I believe we were talking about _your_ idiocy and _not_ about how accurate _my_ shooting is, could we please go back to discussing that?"

"Aww but you're a lot more interesting than little old me, Mr. Yellowhead!"

"Y-Yellowhead?!" Legolas then got red as a tomato.

"You don't like that one? Worry not, I have plenty more. How do you like… Honey Cone?"

"No."

"Lemon Pie?"

"No…"

"Sunflower Seed?"

"Please stop."

"Sunshine Goodness?"

"Stop it."

"Goldilocks?"

"Valar forbid…"

"Yeah you're right, that one was terrible. Allow me to try again. How about… Bumble Bee?"

"No."

"Buttercup?"

"Are you done?" Legolas was beginning to lose his patience.

"Of course not! I must find a nickname for you first! Calling you 'Stranger' is so _impersonal._ "

"Because simply using my _name_ would just be taking the easy way out." Legolas said sarcastically.

"Pfff. Who actually still uses their _name_ when introducing themselves?" The impudent brat waved his hand nonchalantly. " _Please_ … most people I know have at least _seven_ different names, each one more creative than the last."

"Of course." The future prince breathed out and placed a hand on his face.

"Continuing though-"

"Must you?"

"Yes."

"Ugh." The blonde decided to sit down. This is going to take a while.

"So… Ducky?"

"I'm going to stop you right there…"

"Cheese?"

"For Valar's sake…"

"Canary?"

"If you don't stop right now I won't be responsible for what I do next." The blonde archer grumbled, fingering his beloved bow.

"You are absolutely right, those were _horrible_!" The teenager nodded his dark head vigorously. "Valar, you _are_ hard to please, aren't you?"

"If pleasing me really has been your end goal all along, you would have headed my request and used my name." Legolas deadpanned.

But the boy ignored him.

"Since I failed to meet your high standards on my lonesome it is time to call in the cavalry!"

"Please don't…" The older elf groaned, wishing he never left the stuffy castle. Even listening to Thranduil's whining for hours on end was better than… whatever _this_ is.

"Brother-dear! Hear me and come to my aid! I have encountered an elf with tastes far to refined for one prankster to take on alone!"

Legolas sighed and hid his face, groaned and braced for impact.

More rustling could be heard and another elf popped up.

When he ended up looking exactly like the first one, the future prince nearly had a heart attack.

"I have arrived, dearest brother!" The clone said, equally as dramatically as his predecessor. "What seems to be the problem?"

Legolas closed his eyes, counted to ten, then opened them again.

"This warrior's tastes in nicknames is unrivalled!" Young elf nr.1 responded, pout in place and hands on hips. "We must defeat this obstacle, Elros, or we won't be able to call ourselves the Funniest Future Elf lords on Arda!"

Now, the blonde archer's heart _really_ stopped.

If the newcomer's name was Elros…

And he was the son of the present Elf Lord, who Legolas knows for a fact was named Eärendil…

And he was one in a set of twins…

Then that mean the elf he was talking to, was-

"Elrond! Elros!" Thranduil chose that exact moment to appear out of nowhere, and jump on the back of one of the identical elves. "What are you two doing here?!"

Legolas was locked in such stupor that he didn't even notice.

"Well if it isn't our favorite little prince!" The one on the left laughed, grabbing the smaller boy and tackling him to the grassy ground beneath Legolas's feet. "How are you spending this wonderful day? Slacking off from classes again?"

The platinum-blonde child scowled and kicked the taller elf off him, perhaps a bit harder than he should have.

"No! I'm having lunch with my new tutor, Legolas!" The child pouted. "We're taking a break from studying all day! Even _Ada_ was inclined to agree we needed a nice long break."

Both youths laughed at that, Legolas still desperately trying to process the new information given to him.

"Wow, you must have been studying _really_ hard for _King Oropher_ to think you needed a few hours of rest." The one still behind the bush said, crawling out of it. "Funny how it never happened when _Muriniel_ was teaching you."

Thranduil scoffed.

"Muriniel was no fun." He said, sounding like the petulant child that he is. "All he wants to talk about is politics and trading routes with other cities." He then stuck out his tongue. "Boooring."

"I'm sure it was, elfling." The elf nearest to the boy ruffled his hair. "But I believe introductions are in order. While we know who we are, I don't think Goldfish can say the same."

His brother gave him a look.

"Goldfish? _Really_ , El?"

"What? I told you I was running out of ideas, Ros." The elf shrugged. "Otherwise I wouldn't ask for _your_ consult."

"You disappoint me, brother." Elros said, a disapproving sneer on his face. "I never thought an elf could sink any lower than the 'Pink Laundry' prank, but you've proved me wrong yet again."

"Oh yeah? Well you're ugly."

"We're _twins,_ you orc-brain. We look _identical_!"

"That's exactly what the 'less attractive brother' would say." Elrond whispered none-to-quietly in Thranduil's direction. "Poor boy still can't accept the fact that elleths like me _more_."

"Oh _Valar_." Elros groaned loudly. "Not this again."

Legolas looked as if he just saw Sauron's eye turn pink.

"It's the truth, dear brother." Elrond gave him a smirk. "Mother always said I was the prettiest."

"Well, I heard father say you are dumber than a starved _orc_!"

"You did not!" Elrond hissed.

"Did too!"

"Take that back!"

"No!"

A thump was heard, and all eyes turned to the green-dressed warrior who… fainted.

The situation was simply… too much for him to handle.

But, even in that state of near unconsciousness, he could still hear the twins say:

"Did that… Did we just _kill_ him?!"

"Of course not, you idiot! He simply fainted."

"Why did he do _that_?! He seemed _fine_ a minute ago!"

"My guess it's from overheating but I'm not experienced enough to say for sure." Elros stated, and the blonde could vaguely sense a cool hand on his forehead. "Whatever the reason, we better get him to Ada. It's better to be sure."

After that the archer was engulfed by the sweet silent darkness that was unconsciousness.


	14. Chapter 14

"I will name my son after you"

Chapter 14

"Ah coincidences."

When Legolas came back to consciousness, the first thing he noticed was the softness beneath his back. It felt a lot like a fluffy mattress in a bed.

The fact that he did not recall ever getting into one, let alone returning from the picnic with Thranduil, made the prince open his eyes and bolt into a sitting position.

"W-Where am I?" He blinked, trying to get rid of the sleepiness that still lingered. "H-How did I get here?"

A small chuckle was heard from the far side of the room where a tall, dark-haired elf the prince did not recognize, stood leaning over his desk.

"Be at ease, elfling." The unknown elf spoke, voice gentle and bearing no hostility. "I mean you no harm." He then walked closer to Legolas's position and the prince noticed that he looked distinctly like-

' _Oh no_.'

He paled and his hands instinctively curled around the covers.

' _It's Earendil_.'

That can't be good...

"Tell me..." Said elf continued. "Do you remember what happened?"

Legolas tried to think but it was hard with his grandfather's best friend, who also happens to be a medical expert, right there watching him.

"I… the last thing I remember was partaking in a casual, if a bit irritating, conversation with your sons, my lord."

The dark-haired lord raised a curious eyebrow and the future woodland prince wondered if, perhaps, he was a bit bold with his statement.

There is, after all, a small possibility this _isn't_ Earendil at all!

Oropher had _many_ friends, after all. It is possible that at least _one_ of them resembled the esteemed elf Lord in _some_ way-

"Oh? And how, pray tell, did you know those two were my sons, young one?"

…

At that, what little hopes Legolas had, spluttered and died.

This _was_ Lord Earendil, and _he_ was in _deep_ trouble if he didn't think fast on his feet.

"Oh, w-well..." He stuttered, desperately trying to think of a logical explanation thanks to which he could possibly come to that conclusion. "They greatly resemble you, sir." He blurred out, before his mind could stop his mouth. "There was no doubt in my mind that they are your boys, once I laid my eyes on you, my Lord."

He nodded to himself.

This was good.

Not exactly the truth, but not a lie either.

A little thing his good friend Gandalf the Gray would call a 'White Lie', a tactic he occasionally used against the older version of his father when he _had_ to tell him _something_ , but _couldn't_ tell the whole truth.

Thranduil's son was _so_ grateful for all the half-baked truths he witnessed the old wizard weave in his father's throne room, he couldn't believe he was once _irritated_ by them. They were _such_ useful things to use when in a stressful situation...

"Hmmm..." Earendil's thoughtful hum pulled the future prince out of thought, as the lord watched him through half-closed eyes. "So you say..." Legolas swallowed thickly.

It was obvious that the elf lord did not quite believe him, but was willing to let it slide for the time being.

"But, enough about that," He clapped his hands once, as if to physically get rid of the topic. "Tell me, youngling, have you been having heart discomforts as of late?" Earendil asked, slipping into doctor mode, pulling out a scroll to note down his answers.

Legolas blinked.

"H-Heart discomforts?" Where did _that_ idea come from? "N-No. Why do you ask?"

"Medical purposes." Came the curt response. "My sons brought you in thinking you fainted from a heatstroke, but a quick test to your temperature quickly proved that it was simply not the case." He then looked up and the future prince squirmed under the intense gaze. "As your healer I am obligated to cure what ails you. So you _must_ tell me if you had any problems breathing, sudden unexpected chest-pains and lightheadedness."

Legolas bit his lip.

He couldn't exactly tell the elf Lord before him he fainted because he couldn't quite believe that, the serious and stern Lord Elrond he remembered, was actually as big a pranking and mischievous soul during his youth as his sons Elladan and Elrohir are in the future, because that would make him sound like he's high on Radagast the Brown's mushrooms.

So that means he has to weave a white lie… again.

"Well..." He swallowed, trying to buy himself some time. "I haven't experienced any of the symptoms you asked me about, but I _haven't_ been drinking a lot of water during the picnic. Yes!" He nodded vigorously, holding on to the excuse like his life depended on it. "That _must_ be why I fainted."

The blonde prince then looked to his companion, hoping this explanation didn't sound as far-fetched to Earendil, as it did to him.

Said elf lord was watching him closely, clearly thinking through what he just said.

After a few seconds of silence, Earendil finally nodded his head.

"Very well then." He said, writing down something on the scroll.

Legolas sighed in relief.

Maybe he can get through the meeting without ratting out his real identity.

* * *

#Earendil's POV:

Well, he had to admit it to Oropher. As much as he hoped this wasn't true, the young elf before him really _did_ look like a perfect mix between his childhood friend and the elleth he had the one-night stand with all those years ago.

 _Eru_ , if he had to make a guess as to the boy's age, even _it_ lines up with the time of the one-night stand!

...

Valar, if their fears are confirmed and word of this gets out into the public, Oropher will be under a _lot_ of scrutiny.

He shook his head.

' _A healer must never focus on the negative aspects of the situation._ ' He reminded himself as he wrote down the boy's response to his earlier question, on his trusty scroll. ' _There is still a chance it's all just a coincidence._ '

But… the more questions he asked the elfling, the more he began to doubt that conviction.

"What's your name, elfling?"

"Legolas, sir. Legolas Greenleaf."

' _A Greenwood name._ ' Earendil sighed. ' _There goes the theory that he isn't from our realm._ '

"How old are you?"

"Three thousand springs. Give or take a decade."

The elf Lord's frown deepened.

' _That would make his birth take place around… oh, Eru..._ '

This wasn't good.

"What about your parents? Could you tell me something about them?"

"I'm afraid there isn't a lot to tell. My mother died when I was very young. My father was a guard for king Oropher before he sailed a few years ago. I am an only child."

' _That… would actually explain why Aralia disappeared from town, twelve months after that day..._ ' Earendil bit his lower lip. ' _Those events are lining up a bit too well, for this to be a simple coincidence..._ '

"Is… there something else you would like to ask me, sir?"

The elf Lord blinked, pulled out of his thoughts by the younger elf's voice, then pondered on the question.

"No but there is something I'd like to try, if you don't mind..."

* * *

He knew Oropher would be in the middle of an audience with the townspeople from Lake Town by the time he got to the throne room, but he didn't care.

The king needed to know the news right now, the humans can wait a few more minutes.

He opened the door to the throne room with the force of his sped-up body, creating a loud 'bang' sound that echoed through the castle.

"L-Lord Earendil?" Oropher tried to act as if his sudden appearance _didn't_ just make him jump a foot into the air. "Is something the matt-"

"We need to talk." The healer cut him off, paying no heed to the rules of etiquette when it comes to speaking with royalty.

" _Now_."

* * *

AN: Hi, guys! Sorry for both the long wait and the cliffhanger. I promise to update this story sooner.

Yours truly

JA107


End file.
